Such a radar sensor may be screwed to a vehicle on the outside with a holding device. This radar sensor may be, for example, a component of a proximity warning system or ranging system, which continuously processes information on the distance and/or the relative speed of the vehicle with respect to other vehicles and the road conditions. In this context, the radar sensor may be very accurately aligned with the longitudinal vehicle axis, as a result of which the sensor may be adjusted in horizontal and vertical directions upon installation into the vehicle, because of the sometimes considerable vehicle tolerances in the region of the mounting location.
German Patent Application 199 24 055, for example, refers to adjusting the radar sensor from above, below, or from the side upon installation, by manually turning two adjusting screws with the aid of corner gears. The difficulty is to find an installation space for the radar sensor which, on one hand, offers enough space and meets the high-frequency requirements and, on the other hand, allows simple and thus inexpensive adjustment of the radar sensor at the end of the manufacturing process.
In some adjusting devices, plastic-coated steel holders or plastic intermediate holders are used in combination with aluminum holders for the installation on the vehicle. The adjustment is then carried out in two axes using adjusting screws, the friction between the plastic domes and the screws being used as locking torques. Here, the radar sensor is fastened via so-called “ball sockets”, allowing the sensor to be rotated and tilted.
Some systems described above require very complex and expensive tools, because, in each case, a punching and bending tool and a tool for coating the holding device with plastic are required. When using a plastic intermediate holder, an additional tool for a steel or aluminum holder is needed as well. Moreover, in some systems, the tools need to have a specific design for each vehicle to which the holding device is attached.